A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to golf clubs. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved golf putter having a polyhedrally-shaped head, rotatable to keyed orientations relative to a shaft, and having traction control inserts of varying properties at different faces of the head.
B. Description of Background Art
In theory, golf is a simple game, merely requiring that the player advance a ball from a tee located at the beginning of a fairway into a cup or xe2x80x9cholexe2x80x9d located on a green at the end of a fairway, by successively hitting the ball with selected clubs a minimum number of times, or strokes. This progression from tee to green is repeated for the nine or eighteen seriatim fairways or holes which the particular golf course is segmented into. In practice, however, the game of golf can be very frustrating, for a number of reasons.
For long xe2x80x9choles,xe2x80x9d beginning golfers frequently experience problems with their xe2x80x9clong game,xe2x80x9d i.e., have difficulty in hitting the ball squarely with sufficient force to traverse the fairway from tee to green with a minimum number of strokes. However, for most people that are not physically handicapped, a facility for hitting xe2x80x9clongxe2x80x9d balls can be developed in a relatively short time, by practicing at driving ranges, for example. On the other hand, beginning golfers often find that, although the skills required to advance the ball from the tee to the vicinity of the green in a reasonable number of strokes can be achieved in a relatively short time, xe2x80x9cholingxe2x80x9d the ball in the cup can add sufficient strokes to far exceed xe2x80x9cpar,xe2x80x9d the idealized, average number of strokes determined to be achievable by expert golfers playing the same hole.
Oftentimes, beginning golfers add excessive strokes to their game because of difficulties experienced in putting the ball into the cup from distant locations on the green. Putting difficulties can arise from the fact that a different set of motor skills are required for putting than for driving the ball from the tee, or hitting long fairway shots. The latter require expenditure of substantial amounts of kinetic energy by the golfer in imparting enough momentum to the ball to propel it for long distances. In putting, raw power or brute force is ineffectual, and the beginning golfer must acquire a substantial amount of finesse in hitting a ball residing on the green, to avoid overshooting the cup and adding unwanted strokes to his game.
Since the amount of momentum that must be imparted to a putted ball is so much less than required to drive a ball appreciable distances, beginning golfers often xe2x80x9cpullxe2x80x9d their club on short putts, i.e., fail to follow through on their stroke. This pulling or xe2x80x9cchokingxe2x80x9d is detrimental, since the directional control of the impacted ball is adversely affected by such actions. Accordingly, many beginner golfers are confronted with the frustrating situation of putting the ball with good accuracy but beyond the cup, when utilizing their newly acquired skills for long-ball hitting with appropriate follow-through in their stroke. Conversely, choked or pulled strokes can result in the putted ball stopping short of the cup, or deviating substantially away from the cup.
The putting difficulties alluded to above are exacerbated by the substantial variations normally encountered in the conditions of greens. Thus, greens on which the grass is closely trimmed and dry offer minimum rolling resistance to a golf ball, and are xe2x80x9cfast.xe2x80x9d Conversely, greens on which the grass is long and/or wet present substantial rolling resistance to a rolling golf ball, and are xe2x80x9cslow.xe2x80x9d Therefore, the exact amount of momentum that must be delivered to hole a ball varies substantially as a function of green conditions, as well as with distance from the cup.
In recognition of the problems encountered with putting by beginners as well as even relatively experienced golfers, the present inventor disclosed a novel putter design to improve putting skills, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/416,135 filed Apr. 5, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,332, issued Oct. 17, 1995, for a Golf Putter Head With A Cushioning Face. That application discloses heads having on the front face thereof a polymer pad having a rebound factor directly related to the distance to an intended target. For short putts and/or fast greens, a small rebound factor of, say 12.5% was disclosed as being desirable for puffs of about 10 feet, 25% for 15-20 foot putts, 37.5% for putts of about 30 feet, and 50% for putts of 40 feet or greater.
By selecting a particular putter from a series of putters fitted with inserts having different rebound factors, the disclosed invention enabled golfers to utilize strokes that varied over a smaller power range, even for widely varying putting distances and green conditions. For example, by using a putter having an insert with a low rebound factor of 12.5%, the ball may be struck with nearly the same vigor for a 10 foot putt as for a 40 foot putt using a putter having a higher rebound factor of 50%. Therefore, the player can use a complete stroke with the follow through required for accurately launching the ball towards the cup, even for short putts and/or fast greens, by using a putter having an insert with an appropriately low rebound factor.
In addition to the substantial contribution to improved putting afforded by putters having inserts with rebound factors optimized to various putting situations, the present inventor""s prior application disclosed putters in which the rebound factor of an insert could be varied somewhat independently of hardness. This capability permits the feel of the club upon impacting the ball to be adjusted somewhat, thus allowing inserts with varying rebound factors to provide similar sensory feedback upon impacting a golf ball.
The golf putter heads described in the present inventor""s U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,332 referred to above provided a substantial contribution to improving a golfer""s putting performance. However, a problem still existed for golfers approaching the green.
In the xe2x80x9cshortxe2x80x9d portion of a golf game, it is usually necessary to hit the ball onto the green from a fairway, rough or sand trap. Such locations are oftentimes well within a golfer""s maximum distance hitting capability. Accordingly, clubs with an inclined front face that provide a substantial vertical component (loft) to the ball trajectory are often used in approaching the green. A high trajectory minimizes the likelihood of overshooting the green, and results in the ball impacting the green at a relatively steep angle, thereby minimizing roll away from the impact point. In spite of making a careful choice of the best club to prevent exceeding a desired horizontal range, many players are confronted in their short games with the same dilemma as in putting; namely, maintaining normal swing and follow through to achieve good trajectory direction, and possibly overshooting an intended impact point, or pulling the shot to decrease horizontal range, while adversely affecting angular or bearing accuracy, and/or falling short of a desired impact point.
In view of the problems alluded to above, it occurred to the present inventor that some of the novel improvements which he disclosed in his U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,332, for putters might be adapted to other varieties of golf clubs, including wedges and other irons, as well as woods. Such considerations were in part a motivation for further inventions by the present inventor, which were disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/543,813, filed Oct. 16, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,132, issued Oct. 7, 1997 for a golf club head with a rebound control insert.
In the course of applying the improvements in putter construction disclosed in the ""332 patent to other types of golf clubs, it was found that the larger ball impact forces typically encountered in using the latter suggested a somewhat more rugged design, to ensure that the polymeric insert on the club face could be attached securely to a club head, and by a relatively simple manufacturing technique. As it turned out, the newly conceived design for improved woods and irons turned out to be advantageously useable with the putter head design previously disclosed by the present inventor.
Following the aforementioned advancements in golf club design, the present inventor conceived a golf putter including a head provided with an insert which may be readily interchanged to provide different rebound factors and/or hardness, resulting in issuance of U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,871, Golf Putter Head With Interchangeable Control Insert. The golf putter disclosed in the ""871 patent includes a head having at the front face thereof a resilient rebound control pad secured to the head by releasable fastening means that permit interchanging the pad with a pad which provides a different rebound factor and/or hardness. Thus, the putter disclosed in the ""871 patent enables different rebound factors to be selected to suit a player""s particular putting style. For example, a consistently heavy hitter might choose a lower rebound factor, to avoid overstroking a hole. On the other hand, the same player might choose a higher rebound factor for use on a particular day at a particular course when the greens were slower, because the grass was wet and/or longer. Different hardness values may also be selected to provide a different feel upon impacting a ball.
The present invention was conceived of to provide a golf putter including a head provided with a plurality of faces having differing ball impact characteristics such as rebound, hardness or traction control, the head being rotatable with respect to a shaft and fixable at discrete, keyed orientations with respect to the shaft, to position a selected face at the front of the putter.
An object of the present invention is to provide a golf putter including a head provided with a plurality of ball-striking faces, each having differing ball impacting characteristics, the head being rotatable to predetermined keyed orientations with respect to the longitudinal axis of a shaft and fixable thereat to place a selected face at a ball-striking position.
Another object of the invention is to provide a golf putter including a head having a polygonal plan view shape, and a plurality of vertically disposed faces having differing ball impacting characteristics, and a shaft selectably fixable at keyed orientations to the head to place a selected face at a ball-striking position perpendicular to the intended swing direction of the shaft.
Another object of the invention is to provide a golf putter including a head having aa polygonal plan view shape and a plurality of generally vertically disposed faces having differing ball impacting characteristics, the head having in an upper surface thereof a polygonal cross section bore having faces parallel to the ball impacting faces, and a shaft having at the lower end thereof a keyed end shaped complimentarily to the bore, whereby the shaft may be removably inserted into and secured within the bore to position a selected face of the head perpendicular to a portion of a grip located at the upper end of the shaft, which defines a plane in which the shaft is intended to be swung to impact a ball.
Another object of the invention is to provide a golf putter including a head having in plan view the shape of a regular polygon, a plurality of generally vertically disposed faces having differing ball impacting characteristics, a bore in the center of an upper surface of the head which has polygonal walls parallel to the ball impacting faces, and a shaft having an upper grip end provided with a thumb flat defining the intended swing plane of the club, and a lower end shaped complimentarily to the bore, thereby enabling the shaft to be insertably received within the bore to secure the head to the shaft with a selectable face oriented parallel to the thumb flat.
Another object of the invention is to provide a golf putter including a head having in plan view a polygonal shape, a plurality of faces fitted with inserts having differing ball impacting characteristics, and a shaft removably attachable to the head at selected keyed locations to orient a selected insert at a front ball impacting location relative to the shaft.
Another object of the invention is to provide a golf putter, including a head having a plurality of ball faces which are provided with inserts having differing ball impacting characteristics.
Another object of the invention is to provide a golf putter including a head having a plurality of faces which are selectably orientable to an intended swing direction and which are provided with inserts having different ball impacting characteristics, including an insert having a heterogeneous composite composition which includes grains of a harder material held within a polymer matrix.
Another object of the invention is to provide a golf putter including a head having a plurality of faces which are selectably orientable to a position perpendicular to an intended swing direction of the putter, the faces having located at intended ball impacting regions thereof inserts having differing ball impacting properties, including an insert having a composite composition which includes grains of metal held within a polymer matrix.
Another object of the invention is to provide an insert for a golf club face which has a heterogeneous composite composition which includes grains of a property-altering material in a polymer matrix.
Another object of the invention is to provide an insert for the ball impacting face of a golf club which has a composite composition which includes a polymer matrix in which is intermingled grains of metal or a refractory material to vary the traction, hardness or rebound factor of the insert.
Various other objects and advantages of the present invention, and its most novel features, will become apparent to those skilled in the art by perusing the accompanying specification, drawings and claims.
It is to be understood that although the invention disclosed herein is fully capable of achieving the objects and providing the advantages described, the characteristics of the invention described in this specification are merely illustrative of the preferred embodiment. Accordingly, I do not intend that the scope of my exclusive rights and privileges in the invention be limited to details of the embodiments described. I do intend that equivalents, adaptations and modifications of the invention reasonably inferable from the description contained herein be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Briefly stated, the present invention comprehends an improved golf putter which includes a multi-face head that is removably attachable to a shaft in selected ones of a plurality of keyed orientations which position a selected face of the head in a front, ball-striking disposition relative to the shaft, e.g., relative to a flat on the hand grip at the upper end of the shaft which a player may align his or her thumbs with to define a plane in which the putter is swung to impact and drive a golf ball towards a hole. Each face of the head preferably has different ball impacting characteristics, allowing a golfer to select different faces for different playing conditions.
In preferred embodiments of the invention, the head has a generally polyhedral shape, including a polygonally-shaped base, a plurality of generally vertically disposed faces which depend upwardly from the base, and a polygonally-shaped upper wall surface vertically aligned with the base. Preferably, the base has a generally flat surface, which may be slightly convex to minimize scuffing contact with a green when the putter is swung, the upper surface is generally flat and parallel to the base, and the faces are generally rectangularly-shaped and perpendicular to the base and upper wall surface of the head. Thus, preferred embodiments of the head have the shape of a prism, and the head has in plan-view the shape of a regular polygon. In a particular preferred embodiment, the putter head plan-view shape is that of an equilateral triangle, thus provided three vertical faces which may have different ball impacting characteristics. Other embodiments of the invention have regular polygonal shapes such as square or hexagonal, providing four or six selectable ball impacting faces. Moreover, the head may have an elongated, thin rectangular plan-view shape, provided with front and rear faces which have different ball impacting characteristics.
Putters according to the present invention, include means for removably attaching the putter head to the shaft at a selected one of a plurality of predetermined, keyed polar or azimuthal angles relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. A preferred keyed attachment means includes a bore which protrudes perpendicularly downwardly into the head from the upper wall surface of the head. The bore is coaxial with a central altitude of the head, and has a plurality of vertical walls which are parallel to the faces of the head. Thus, for example, an example embodiment of the invention includes a head having in plan view the shape of an equilateral triangle having sides about 3xc2xd inches long, and a centrally located bore having in cross section the shape of an equilateral triangle which sides are about xc2xc inch long and parallel to respective vertical sides of the head.
In preferred embodiments of the putter according to the present invention, the keyed attachment means for removably attaching the shaft to the head includes a prismatic-shaped boss, e.g., an equilateral triangle prism, which protrudes downwardly from the lower end of the shaft, the boss having a shape complimentary to that of the bore in the upper wall of the head. With this arrangement, the shaft boss is inserted into the head bore with the head oriented to position a selected face at a front, ball-striking location relative to the shaft grip. The shaft and head are then secured together, as for example, by a screw inserted into a countersunk entrance to the head bore located in the lower or sole surface of the head and threaded into an internally threaded, blind bore provided in the lower end of the prismatic shaft boss.
Also in a preferred embodiment of the invention, each vertical face of the head which is selectable as a ball-striking face has different ball impacting characteristics. Preferably, these differing characteristics are provided by inserts having different ball control properties, particularly rebound and/or hardness. Such insert technology is described fully in the present inventor""s U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,458,332, 5,674,132, and 5,921,871, and the disclosures of those three patents are hereby incorporated by reference into the present disclosure.
In addition to various rebound and hardness values, at least one face insert in each putter head according to the present invention also preferably is of a novel construction which provides further selection and control of the ball control characteristics described in the aforementioned three patents. Thus, the present inventor has found that fabricating polymer inserts in which grains of a hard material such as metal grains or, grains of a refractory material such as aluminum oxide or a carbide such as silicon carbide, enhances the traction of the insert relative to a golf ball, thus minimizing slippage between the insert surface and a golf ball surface when the ball is struck, and thereby insuring the desired amount of spin is imparted to the ball upon impact. Moreover, the present inventor has discovered that fabricating polymer inserts as a heterogeneous, multi-phase composite including a polymer matrix and discrete grains of metal or a refractory material, provide a convenient means for adjusting both hardness and rebound factors more readily than achievable by varying the properties of just the polymer.